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Bhagwat Urges Revival of Mother Tongues at Nagpur Book Festival

He links cultural identity to an ancient idea of rashtra distinct from Western nationalism.

Overview

  • Speaking in Nagpur on November 30, the RSS chief warned that some Bharatiya people no longer know their own languages and urged families to use Indian languages at home.
  • At the release of the English edition of Shri Dnyaneshwari, he said key Indian concepts resist precise English translation, citing examples like Kalpavruksha to argue for preserving linguistic depth.
  • In sessions with young writers, he framed rashtra as conveying Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam rather than state power and called for literature grounded in original sources and lived experience.
  • A day earlier at the festival, he said India believes in nationality, not nationalism, asserting that India's rashtra is ancient and organic and not comparable to Western nation-states.
  • He disputed Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj claim that pre‑British India lacked unity and reiterated that Indian tradition emphasizes fraternity and staying away from disputes.